8. First Responder Network: AT&T has issued a progress report for FirstNet, a nationwide first responder network. The network buildout has accelerated in recent months, and is expected to eventually blanket all 50 states and several U.S. territories.

5. Unified Communications:CenturyLink is now a Cisco Spark Service Provider (SP). Spark is a cloud-based collaboration suite that allows teams and individuals to meet, message, call, conference, white board and share, regardless of location.

3. SaaS Payment Tool:LaterPay has launched LaterPay Pro for SaaS solutions providers. LaterPay saves customers’ time and increases conversions for digital content and services. Instead of requiring upfront registration and payment – which derails the majority of all intended purchases – LaterPay Pro defers this process until purchases reach a predetermined threshold, the company claims.

Passportal CEO Colin Knox

2. Momentum:Passportal, the password management platform for MSPs, continues to gain momentum. CEO Colin Knox and President Dan Wensley shared some company milestones with ChannelE2E earlier this week. Or was it last week? Admittedly, I’m a little behind on my reporting. Stay tuned for a detailed update in the next few days.

1. IBM PartnerWorld: The technology giant’s partner conference is now part of IBM Think 2018, a new companywide customer and partner event set for later this month in Las Vegas. We plan to attend. If you’d like to potentially meet at the conference please email me (Joe@AfterNines.com).

Bonus: Have an awesome weekend, and thank you for reading ChannelE2E. Check the site regularly for updates ahead of Monday. You never know when breaking news and analysis will surface…